U.S. patent number 5,802,742 [Application Number 08/793,850] was granted by the patent office on 1998-09-08 for inner for sports boot.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Societe d'Importation de Diffusion ou Distribution d'Articles de Sport (S.I.D.A.S.). Invention is credited to Alain Baude, Lolc David.
United States Patent |
5,802,742 |
Baude , et al. |
September 8, 1998 |
Inner for sports boot
Abstract
A sports shoe inner comprises two pairs of separate flaps. A
first pair is level with the wearer's instep. A second pair is
located level with the wearer's lower leg. The flaps extend so as
to overlap each other.
Inventors: |
Baude; Alain (Izeron,
FR), David; Lolc (Grand-Lemps, FR) |
Assignee: |
Societe d'Importation de Diffusion
ou Distribution d'Articles de Sport (S.I.D.A.S.) (Voiron,
FR)
|
Family
ID: |
9466913 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/793,850 |
Filed: |
April 9, 1997 |
PCT
Filed: |
August 25, 1995 |
PCT No.: |
PCT/FR95/01125 |
371
Date: |
April 09, 1997 |
102(e)
Date: |
April 09, 1997 |
PCT
Pub. No.: |
WO96/07339 |
PCT
Pub. Date: |
March 14, 1996 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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Sep 8, 1994 [FR] |
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94 10939 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
36/117.6; 36/10;
36/55 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A43B
19/00 (20130101); A43B 5/0405 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A43B
19/00 (20060101); A43B 5/04 (20060101); A43B
005/04 (); A43B 023/07 () |
Field of
Search: |
;36/10,117.6,55 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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A-2 541 095 |
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Aug 1984 |
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FR |
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WO 94/09663 |
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May 1994 |
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WO |
|
Primary Examiner: Kavanaugh; Ted
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Oliff & Berridge, PLC
Claims
We claim:
1. An inner for a sports boot, comprising a part intended to hold a
wearer's foot, a substantially tubular part intended to surround a
wearer's lower leg, and two pairs of independent flaps,
wherein a first pair of said two pairs is located level with a
wearer's instep and includes a first flap extending from an inner
side of the wearer's foot, and a second flap extending from an
outer side of the wearer's foot, said first flap overlapping said
second flap above an outer face of the wearer's instep, and
a second pair of said two pairs is located level with the wearer's
lower leg and includes a third flap extending from the outer side
of the wearer's foot, and a fourth flap extending from the inner
side of the wearer's foot, said third flap overlapping said fourth
flap above an inner face of the wearer's lower leg.
2. An inner according to claim 1, made of a padded material that is
not precisely fitted to a specific anatomy of the wearer's
foot.
3. An inner according to claim 1, made of a material that is
shapeable between the wearer's foot and the boot.
4. An inner according to claim 3, made of thermoplastic, made
malleable by heating in order to be thermoformed.
5. An inner according to claim 1, having a shape that corresponds
relatively precisely to a general shape of the wearer's foot and
the wearer's lower leg.
6. An inner according claim 5, made by assembling at least two
material pieces, namely a piece (2) constituting a sole, and at
least one other piece constituting a remainder of the inner
intended to surround the wearer's foot and lower leg.
7. An inner according to claim 1, wherein the second flap does not
extend beyond a top of the wearer's instep but borders the top, set
back therefrom.
8. An inner according to claim 7, wherein an extreme edge of the
flap (7) has a notch intended to keep it set back from the top of
the instep.
9. An inner according to claim 1, wherein said fourth flap does not
extend beyond a median plane of a wearer's leg.
10. An inner according to claim 1, wherein said fourth flap extends
slightly beyond a median plane of a wearer's leg, by a few
centimeters, so as to constitute a double padding thickness which
protects a front of the wearer's leg level with a tibial crest.
11. An inner according to claim 1, wherein said third and fourth
flaps include lower extensions that overlap an upper edge of said
first and second flaps, one of said lower extensions having a
curved extreme edge.
Description
This application is a 371 of PCT/FR95/01125 filed on Aug. 25,
1995.
The present invention relates to an inner for a sports boot, in
particular ski boot.
Some high boots, in particular sports boots and especially ski
boots, contain an inner which is intended to protect the foot
against friction with the rigid parts of the boot.
In a number of sports, it is actually necessary for the foot to be
wedged securely in the boot, in order to allow accurate control of
objects which are fixed to the latter, in particular a ski. The
foot is therefore exposed to repeated friction, and the inner
protects it accordingly.
However, the boot is only very approximately adapted to the
specific morphology of the foot and the lower leg, because it must
be suitable for a large number of users.
The same is true for the inner, which corresponds only very
approximately to a standard foot shape.
The boot is adjusted to the user's foot using loops, straps or
laces, the purpose of which is to tighten it to a greater or lesser
extent, while comprising the boot around the foot.
This tightening has the drawback that it cannot be uniform and that
it creates excess pressures at some sensitive points on the
foot.
In order to alleviate these pressures, it is well known to provide
a padded boot, comprising a tongue which covers the instep and the
front part of the lower leg. This tongue makes it possible to close
the opening which allows the foot to be inserted into the boot, to
distribute the tightening force of the boot over the aforementioned
regions of the foot and the lower leg, and to protect the sensitive
parts of the foot.
However, a tongue of this type has the significant drawback that it
shifts under the effect of the repeated movements of the foot
relative to the boot, until it becomes displaced fully to one or
other of the sides of the inner. It then no longer fulfills its
function of protecting and holding the foot, so that the inner
becomes particularly uncomfortable for the user.
It is also known, for example from the U.S. Patents U.S. Pat. No.
4,182,056 or U.S. Pat. No. 3,786,580, as well as from international
application WO-94/09663, to provide an inner which does not
comprise a tongue, but comprises flaps which overlap level with the
instep and the front of the lower part of the leg.
Although they are generally satisfactory in practice, these inners
have the drawback that they do not ensure perfect holding and
comfort for the foot, in particular because they are not perfectly
matched to the very particular asymmetric anatomy of this part of
the body.
In addition, it is well known to shape an inner blank between the
foot and the rigid shell of the boot, so as to obtain a
distribution of the material of the inner in the space existing
between the foot and the shell, by plastic flow or differential
compression of this material. This shaping makes it possible to
obtain an inner which fits and holds the foot.
The capacities of the material of the blank for plastic flow and
differential compression remain, in spite of everything, relatively
limited, and do not make it possible to obtain holding and comfort
for the foot in all the regions of the latter. This is the case, in
particular, when the blank employed has a rough shape, that is to
say has the appearance of a large stocking which is open
longitudinally level with those of its parts which correspond to
the instep and the lower leg. A blank of this type does not
correspond very precisely to the shape of the foot and the lower
leg, and the limited capacities for plastic flow and compression of
the material do not make it possible to compensate for this
inaccuracy, in order to obtain the desired holding and comfort.
The present invention aims to overcome these various drawbacks.
Its object is to provide an inner which, remaining standard, is
more padded at some points than at others so as to correspond
optimally to the anatomical shape of the foot.
The inner to which it relates is of the type comprising a part
intended to hold the foot, and a substantially tubular part
intended to surround the lower leg, and comprising flaps which
overlap level with the instep and the lower part of the leg.
According to the invention, the inner comprises two pairs of
independent flaps, namely
a first pair, which is located level with the instep, which
comprises a first flap, extending from the inner side of the foot,
and a second flap, extending from the outer side of the foot, this
first flap overlapping this second flap above the outer face of the
user's instep, and
a second pair, which is located level with the lower leg, which
comprises a first flap, extending from the outer side of the foot,
and a second flap, extending from the inner side of the foot, this
first flap overlapping this second flap above the inner face of the
lower leg.
This inner makes it possible to obtain perfect holding and comfort
of the foot in the boot.
Specifically, the foot and the lower leg have an anatomical
asymmetry in their shapes and in their volumes. The top of the
instep is positioned on the inner side of the foot, so that its
lateral inner face is relatively steep, while its outer face
descends with a gentler slope. For their part, the ankle and the
lower leg have a hollow above the inner malleolus, and therefore
substantially level with the inner face of the lower leg, which
does not exist on the outer side.
In the inner according to the invention, the flaps of said "first
pair", which are located level with the instep, overlap essentially
above the outer face of the instep and create a double padding
thickness at this point on the foot. The flaps of said "second
pair", which are located level with the lower leg, overlap above
the inner face of the lower leg, and create a double padding
thickness at this point on the leg.
These double thicknesses make it possible to fill the spaces which
exist between the foot and the boot because of the aforementioned
hollow anatomical parts existing level with the outer face of the
instep and the inner face of the lower leg. They allow the foot to
be held perfectly in the boot, by distributing the bearing force of
this boot against the inner level with these hollows.
Thus, according to the invention, the flaps are asymmetric, that is
to say of different length within each pair, and overlap in a
manner which is reversed from one pair to another, on the outside
of the instep as regards said "first" pair, and on the inside of
the lower leg as regards said "second" pair.
The inner according to the invention may be made of a traditional
padded material, that is to say one which cannot be fitted very
precisely to the specific anatomy of the user's foot.
Advantageously, however, the inner is made of a material which can
be shaped between the foot and the boot, so that its shape can be
adapted to the specific anatomy of the user's foot, in such a way
that perfect comfort is obtained. In this second case, the inner is
either made of thermoplastic, made malleable by heating in order
for it to be thermoformed, or consists of a flexible casing with
double walls which define a closed cavity between them, into which
a polymerizable material is injected under pressure, or
self-moldable, that is to say containing a product which can
undergo plastic flow when it is compressed, thus rendering uniform
the pressure of the foot against the wall of the inner.
Before this shaping, the inner according to the invention has a
shape which corresponds relatively precisely to the general shape
of the foot and the lower leg, so that the flaps can be positioned
suitably and precisely with respect to the foot and the lower leg
when this shaping is carried out. It is therefore indeed an "inner"
and not a rough blank, as mentioned above, intended to take on the
shape of the foot and the lower leg only during this shaping. This
inner is preferably made by assembling at least two material
pieces, namely a piece constituting the sole, and at least one
other piece constituting the rest of the inner, that is to say the
upper, intended to surround the foot, and the sock intended to
surround the lower leg.
Advantageously, in said first pair of flaps, which is located level
with the instep, the flap intended to be overlapped is designed so
that it does not extend beyond the top of the instep but borders
this top, set back therefrom. Thus, this flap does not create an
overthickness level with this top, which is advantageous in the
case of an inner made of traditional material, as mentioned above,
but essential in the case of an inner made of shapeable material.
If necessary, the extreme edge of this flap has a notch intended to
keep it set back from this top.
In said second pair of flaps which is located level with the lower
leg, the flap intended to be overlapped may be designed so that it
does not extend beyond the median plane of the leg. However, this
flap preferably extends slightly beyond this median plane, by of
the order of a few centimeters, so as to constitute a double
padding thickness which protects the front of the leg level with
the tibial crest.
To explain clearly, the invention is again described below, with
reference to the appended schematic drawing which, by way of
example, represents a preferred embodiment of the inner to which it
relates.
FIG. 1 is a flat view of three material pieces making it possible
to construct this inner, for a right foot;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of this inner, before final
shaping;
FIG. 3 is a view, similar to FIG. 2, of this inner after final
shaping; and
FIGS. 4 to 6 are sectional views of this inner after shaping, into
which the foot of the user has been inserted, respectively along
the lines IV--IV, V--V and VI--VI in FIG. 3.
FIG. 1 represents three pieces 2, 3, 4 of flexible thermoformable
synthetic material, which are intended to be assembled by stitching
in order to form the ski boot inner 5 represented in FIG. 2.
The piece 2 corresponds to the general shape of the lower face of a
right foot.
The piece 3 is intended to constitute the upper of the inner 5. Its
lower edge 3a is intended to be stitched onto the perimeter of the
piece 2. Its ends 3b, having rounded outer edges 3c, are intended
to be stitched to one another via these edges 3c, as far as points
of inflexion 3d, in order to constitute the front of the inner 5.
Beyond the points of inflexion 3d, the piece 3 comprises two
projecting lateral parts of rounded shape, of which the one 3e
located toward the bottom of FIG. 1 is longer than the one 3f
located toward the top.
The piece 4 has a lower notch 4a which delimits, on the one hand,
an edge 4e via which this piece 4 is intended to be stitched to the
upper edge 3g of the piece 3 and, on the other hand, two lateral
parts 4b, 4c which have lower extensions 4d, of which the one
located toward the top in FIG. 1 has a curved extreme edge 4f. The
lateral part 4b, located toward the top of FIG. 1, is longer than
the part 4c located toward the bottom.
FIG. 2 represents the inner as obtained by assembling these pieces
2, 3, 4.
By virtue of the specific shape of these pieces the inner 5
corresponds relatively precisely to the general shape of a foot and
the lower leg.
With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, it is apparent that the pieces 2
to 4 constitute respectively the sole of this inner 5, its upper,
intended to hold the user's foot, and a substantially tubular top
part, intended to surround the lower leg.
It is also apparent that the lateral parts 3e and 3f, on the one
hand, and that the lateral parts 4b and 4c, on the other hand,
constitute two independent pairs of flaps 6, 7, 8, 9 which overlap
level with the instep, on the one hand, and level with the lower
part of the leg, on the other hand.
As shown by FIGS. 2, 3 and 4, the part 3e constitutes a first flap
6, extending from the inside of the foot, which can overlap, above
the outer face of the instep, with a second flap 7 constituted by
the part 3f. The flap 6 therefore extends above the outer face 10a
of the instep 10 while the flap 7 is designed so that it does not
extend beyond the top 10b of the instep but borders this top, set
back therefrom.
As shown by FIGS. 2, 3, 5 and 6, the part 4b constitutes a first
flap 8, extending from the outside of the foot, which can overlap,
above the inner face of the lower leg, with a second flap 9
constituted by the part 4c. The flap 8 therefore extends above the
inner face 11a of the lower leg 11, while the flap 9 extends
slightly beyond the median plane of the leg 11, over a length of
the order of a few centimeters.
The inner 5 as represented in FIG. 2 is intended to be heated so
that its constituent thermoplastic is rendered malleable, then to
be placed in a rigid ski boot shell and to receive the user's foot.
The flaps 6 to 9 are positioned in such a way as to overlap, and in
such a way that the inner 5 tightly encloses the user's foot. The
curved edge 4f allows the lower part of the flap 8 to match the
curvature of the instep 10.
After the boot has been tightened, the inner 5 is shaped between
the user's foot and the shell of the boot, so as to be adapted to
the specific anatomy of the user's foot.
FIG. 3 represents the inner 5 after this final shaping has been
carried out.
This inner 5 makes it possible to obtain perfect holding and
comfort for the foot in the boot.
Specifically, the foot and the lower leg have an anatomical
asymmetry in their shapes and in their volumes.
As shown by FIG. 4, the top 10b of the instep 10 is positioned on
the inner side of the foot, so that its inner lateral face 10c is
relatively steep, while its outer face 10c descends with a gentler
slope.
As shown by FIG. 5, the ankle and the lower leg 11 have a
longitudinal hollow 11b above the inner malleolus, and therefore
substantially level with the inner face 11a of the lower leg 11,
which does not exist on the outer side.
In the inner 5, the flaps 6, 7 create a double padding thickness
level with the outer face 10a of the instep. The flaps 8, 9 create
a double padding thickness level with the Inner face of the lower
leg, or rather on the front thereof. These double thicknesses make
it possible to fill the spaces existing between the foot and the
boot, level with the outer face 10a of the instep 10 and the front
of the inner face 11a of the lower leg. They thus allow the foot to
be held perfectly, by distributing the bearing force of the latter
against the inner level with these hollows.
Thus, in the inner 5, the flaps 6 to 9 are asymmetric, which is to
say of different length within each pair of flaps, and overlap in a
way which is reversed from one pair to the other, on the outside of
the instep 10 as regards the pair of flaps 6, 7, and on the inside
of the lower leg as regards the pair of flaps 8, 9.
By virtue of its relatively short length, the flap 7 does not
extend beyond the top 10b of the instep 10, but borders this top,
set back therefrom. Thus, this flap 7 does not create an
uncomfortable overthickness level with this top. For its part,
because it extends slightly beyond the median plane of the leg, the
flap 9 constitutes a double padding thickness, making it possible
to protect the front of the leg level with the tibial crest, as
shown by FIG. 6.
The lower extensions 4d of the piece 4 overlap the upper edge of
the flaps 6 and 7, in order to fill the space which may exist at
this point between the crossed edges of the various flaps, so as to
make the inner air-tight.
The flaps 8 and 9 can be kept fixed relative to one another, when
the inner 5 is being worn, using complementary self-gripping bands
fixed to each of them. In addition, the inner 5 may comprise
reinforcements between the pieces 3 and 4, extending above the seam
which joins these two pieces to each other.
* * * * *